Toilet flush tank valve mechanism



March 27, 1956 F. J. HONE TOILET FLUSH TANK VALVE MECHANISM Filed Sept. 3, 1954 I INVENTOR. Free em c/v Ll Home ate TOILET FLUSH TANK VALVE MECHANISM Frederick J. Hone, Long Beach, Calif.

Application September 3, H54, Serial No. 454,029

4 Claims. (Cl. 457) The present invention relates to improvements in flush valve mechanisms for such as toilet tanks.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved toilet flush tank valve mechanism which is of fool-proof construction and has few moving parts to jam, corrode, or rust.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive flush tank mechanism, and one which can be used to replace most or all of the conical ball valve and float mechanisms now presently in use.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a valve mechanism for a toilet flush tank that may be replaced by an unskilled person with ordinary tools.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a flush tank mechanism which has means for releasing the operating handle should the operating handle become stuck due to corrosion or rust.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a partial view of a toilet flush tank partly broken away and showing flush valve mechanism in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 4;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross section View taken on line 33 of Figure 4;

Figure 4 is a side view in cross section taken on line 4- of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a vertical cross section view similar to Figure 3 showing the handle release mechanism.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, there is therein shown a toilet flush tank having an operating handle 11 which is swingable from the depending position shown in Figure 1 to an upward position in order to move a lever 12 from its downwardly sloping position, shown in Figures 1 and 4, to a horizontal position indicated in dotted lines at 13 in Figure 4.

The tank 10 is provided with an opening in its bottom. A hollow member 14 comprises an upstanding discharge tube 15 which depends through the opening and is threaded to provide means for securing it to the bottom of the tank by the nut 16 and a gasket 17. A pipe 18 connects the discharge tube 15 to the toilet bowl, not here illustrated.

The hollow member 14 has a lateral chamber 19 on side adjacent the upper end of the discharge tube 15 and in communication therewith and having a declining bottom. A resilient spring wire lever 21 is pivotally attached by one of its ends near the end wall of the chamber 19 by the pivot pin 22. The lever 21 is formed with an upstanding loop 23 on each of its legs 24 and 25 at approximately the middle of the lever 21. The other end of the lever 21 is bent upwardly to have an offset, fiat, ball valve engaging surface 25 which is arranged to engage a ball valve 26 when it is seated on the top end of the dis- 2,73%,3l Patented Mar. 2?, 1956 charge tube 15 and the lever is elevated from its depressed position resting upon the bottom of the chamber 19.

An overflow pipe 27 extends upwardly from and is connected to the top wall of the chamber 19 and per mits escape of excess water into the discharge tube 15. The pipe accommodates a slidable rod 28 which is connected at its upper end to the lever 12 adjacent its free end 29 and is pivoted at its other end to the lever loops 23. The rod 28 is moveable upwardly in the pipe 27 when the operating handle 11 moves the lever 12 from its downwardly sloping position to its horizontal position.

The lower end of the rod 28 is formed with a loop 31 which is engaged through the upstanding loop 23 of the lever 21. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the arms of the lever 21 are normally resiliently spread away from each other along the pivot pin 22, but when the rod 2% is raised its loop 31 closes the arms toward each other thereby putting the arms under spreading tension. if the handle 11 or the lever 12 should corrode and stick, the tendency of the loops 23 to spring apart from each other will cause the rod 28 to be downwardly pulled to release the handle 11 or the lever 12.

A relatively large diameter coil spring 32 is positioned above the ball valve 26 and its lower end loosely surrounds the ball valve 26. The valve body 26 is a freely floatable smooth surfaced ball.

The ends of the spring 32 are formed with loop portions 33 and 34 at the top and bottom respectively, to slip over the overflow pipe 27. The first lower turn 35 of the spring slips over the top end or the discharge tube 15 to hold it over the tube 15 in order that the ball valve 26 be guided to re-seat itself after water flows out of the tank. The upper end 36 of the spring is smaller than the valve body 26 and eltectively prevents it from escaping.

In operation, the described mechanism may replace a conventional mechanism by disconnecting all of the parts of such valve mechanism except the lever. The hollow member 14 is screwed into the bottom of the tank and secured by the nut 16. The rod 28 is attached to the lever 12 and the coil spring 32 is lifted upwardly to insert the valve body 26. The ball valve 26 can be replaced or renewed by merely slipping the coil spring 32 upwardly on the overflow pipe.

While only a single embodiment of the present invention has been here illustrated and described, it is believed that other embodiments may be made and practiced within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a toilet tank structure, a tank having a bottom wall having an opening, a vertical flushing tube depending through said opening for connection to a toilet bowl, said tube having an upper end above said bottom wall, said upper end serving as a valve seat, a ball valve normally resting upon said seat, a lateral chamber on said tube above said bottom wall, said chamber having a closed laterally outward end and an open laterally inward end opening into said tube, said chamber having a top wall, sidewalls, and a bottom wall declining toward said tube, a pivot extending between said sidewalls near said closed outward end of the chamber and near said declining bottom wall, a lever normally lying along the bottom wall of the chamber, said lever having an outer end engaged on said pivot and an inner end located at the open end of the chamber, an offset on said inner end extending across said tube, said lever having loop means intermediate its ends, an overflow tube rising from the top wall of the chamber, said overflow tube having a lower end opening through said top wall, a rod rising freely through and above said overflow tube, said area-me rod having a lower end having a loop engaged through said loop means and an upper end, a flushing lever pivoted on said tank and connected to the upper end of the rod, the offset of the lever bein'g normally spaced below' the ball valve.

2. In a toilet tank structure, a tank having a bottom wall having an opening, a vertical flushing tube depending through said opening. for connection to a toiletbc-wl, said tube having an upper end above said bottom-wall, said upper end serving as a valve seat, a ball valve normally resting upon said seat, a lateral chamber on said tube above said bottom wall, saidchamber having a closed laterally outward end and an open laterally inward end opening into said tube, said chamber having a top Wall, sidewalls, and a bottom wall declining, toward-said tube, a pivot extending between said sidewalls men said closed outward end of'thechamber and near said declining bottom wall, a lever normally lying along the bottom wall of the chamber, said lever having an outer end engaged on said pivotand an inner end located at the open end of the chamber, an ofiset on said inner end extending across said tube, said lever having loop means intermediae its ends, an overflow tube rising from the top wall of the chamber, said overflow tube having a lower end opening through: said top wall, a rod rising freely through and above said overflow tube, said rod having a lower end having a loop engaged through said loop means and an upper end, a flushing lever pivoted on said tank and connected to the upper end of the rod, the ofiset of the lever being normally spaced below the ball valve, and resilient means mounted on said overflow tube above said ball valve and yieldably holding the ball valve seated on the supper end of the flushing tube.

3'. In a toilet tankstructure, a tank having a bottom wall having an opening, a vertical flushing tube depending through said opening for-connection to a toilet bowl, said tube having an upper end above said bottom wall, said upper end serving as a valve seat, a ball valve normally resting upon said seat, a lateral chamber on said tube above said bottom Wall, said chamber having a closed laterally outward end and an open laterally inward end opening into said tube, said--chamber having a top wall, sidewalls, and a bottom walldecliningtoward said tube, a pivot extending between said sidewalls nearsaid closed outward end of the chamber and near said declining bottom wall, a lever-normally lying along the bottom wall of the chamber, said lever having an outer end engaged on said pivot and an inner end'located at the open end of the chamber, an-ofiset on said inner end extending across said tube, said leverhaving-loop means intermediate its ends, an overflow tube rising from the top wall of the chamber, said overflow tube having a lower end opening through said top wall, a rod rising freely through and above said overflow tube, said rod having a lower end having a loop engaged through said loop means and an upper end, a flushing lever pivoted on said tank and connected to the upper end of the rod, the oflset of the lever being normally spaced below the ball valve, and resilient means mounted on said overflow tube above said ball valve and yield ably holding the ball valve seated on the upper end of the flushing tube, said resilient means comprising a vertical helical spring mounted on the overflow pipe and having a lower end surrounding the ball valve.

4. In a toilet tank'structure, a tank having a bottom wall having an opening, a vertical flushing tube depending through said opening for connection to a toilet bowl, said tube having an upper end above said bottom wall, said upper cnd'ser-Viug as a valve seat, a ball valve normally resting upon said seat, a lateral chamber on said tube above said bottom wall, said chamber having a closed laterally outward end and an open laterally inward endopeningr-into said tube, said chamber having a top wall, sidewalls, and a bottom wall declining toward said tube, a pivot extending between said sidewalls near said closedoutward'end of the chamber and near said declining bottomwall, a lever normally lying along the bottomwallof the chamber, said lever having an outer end engaged on said pivot and an inner end located at the-openend of the'chamber, an ofiset on said inner end extendinguacross said tube, said lever having a loop means intermediate he ends, an overflow tube rising from the top wall of the chamber, said overflow tube havingv a lower endopening through said top Wall, a rod rising freely through and above said overflow tube, said rod having a'lower end having a loop engaged through said loopmeans and an upper end, a flushing lever pivoted on said-tanlcandconnected to the upper end of the rod,-

the offset of the lever being normally spaced below the ballvalve, said lever comprising a pair of spring arms connected together at one end and separated at their other ends, said loop means comprising a loop on each arm with the'rod loop engaged through both of the arm loops, said arms being tensioned away from each other;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,054,940 Rea Mar. 4, 1913 2,068,672 Gro'enige'r' Jan. 26, 1937 2,229,887 Groeni'ger I an. 28, 1941 2,430,765 Ghil'lgan NOV. 11, 1947 2680,83 3 Valiente June 15, 1954 

